1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an imaging apparatus configured to pick up and record a moving image and a still image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, digital video cameras for recording/reproducing captured images on/from a large-capacity recording medium such as a digital versatile disc (DVD) have been widely used. A DVD-Video format as one of the DVD formats has been employed as a format for video products such as motion picture, drama, and sports. Meanwhile, the DVD-video format has also been applied to home DVD players.
The DVD-video format premises that data is edited through authoring. Thus, once a moving image content is recorded on a DVD, the recorded content cannot be edited. In addition, after a disk is subjected to finalization, data cannot be added (rewritten). However, moving images can be rewritten on a versatile disk such as a DVD-rewritable (DVD-RW) by canceling the performed finalization. The term “finalization” refers to processing for finalizing recording processing of a disk. In the DVD-video format, a reproduction compatibility with general DVD players is ensured through the finalization. That is, after a video disk is finalized, the video disk conforms to the DVD-video format.
In the DVD-video format, a moving image recorded on a disk is managed in terms of title(s) and chapter(s). One title includes one or more chapters. A title and a chapter constitute a hierarchical structure.
For example, in the case of recording images captured with a video camera based on the DVD-video format, moving image data (hereinafter referred to as “moving image clip”) recorded in one recording process is dealt with as a chapter. Furthermore, an aggregate of chapters is managed as a title under predetermined conditions.
With the above-described management of a moving image clip, increase in the number of titles possibly occurring after each photographing operation can be prevented. That is, in the DVD-video format, the maximum number of titles recordable on one disk is designated to 99. Furthermore, one title can include 99 chapters at the maximum.
As described above, moving image clips captured in one photographing operation is dealt with as one chapter, and the maximum recordable number of moving image clips on one disk can be expressed as “99 titles (the maximum number of titles per disk)×99 chapters (the maximum number of chapters per title)”.
A title is closed when moving image clips are captured beyond 99 chapters, a screen aspect ratio is changed, a recording rate is changed, or when a disk is ejected. In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-308675 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0152369 A1) discusses a method for recording a plurality of chapters recorded on the same day as one title.
In recent years, most digital video cameras can capture still images as well as moving images. In the case of a DVD, for example, moving images are encoded and recorded in Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) format. On the other hand, still images are encoded and recorded in Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format. However, most of general DVD players have only a moving image reproduction function. Thus, a still image cannot be reproduced on a general DVD player. Accordingly, a user cannot view the still image on a general DVD player.
In order to overcome the above problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-201170 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0083414A1) discusses a method in which still image data is once decoded and is subsequently encoded again in the MPEG format so that the MPEG-coded image data is converted into moving image data in a slide show format (hereinafter referred to as a “photomovie”).
However, when a photomovie is generated, a moving image previously recorded on a DVD is closed as one title, and a photomovie itself is recorded as one title. Thus, the number of titles increases every time a new photomovie is generated. Accordingly, the remaining number of recordable moving image clips is reduced.
In addition, moving images recorded on a disk conforming to the DVD-video format are reproduced in the order of recording (reproduced from moving image data recorded in an inner track of the disk). Accordingly, a moving image clip and a photomovie are reproduced mixed with each other.